Former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been arrested just a day after the country’s new government was sworn in, following his ouster during the Gen-Z-led protest movement.
Oli was taken into custody on Saturday (March 28) by Nepal Police as part of an investigation into last year’s deadly protests, where at least 77 people were killed. Authorities are probing whether Oli bears responsibility for the deaths.
The movement initially began as a protest against a temporary social media ban, but it quickly escalated due to longstanding economic dissatisfaction. On the first day of demonstrations alone, at least 19 young protesters were killed during a crackdown.
A senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), Min Bahadur Shahi, said:
“He was taken from his residence this morning.”
Police spokesperson Om Adhikari confirmed that Oli and his Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak have both been detained.
Meanwhile, Balendra Shah, a rapper-turned-politician, recently won the March 5 parliamentary election and was sworn in as Prime Minister on Friday. This election marked the first since the fall of Oli’s government.
A government-backed investigation report stated:
“There is no proven allegation of direct orders to open fire. However, no steps were taken to stop or control the shooting, and this negligence led to the deaths, including minors.”
